Step 5: Bake

Step 6: Serve

Serve apples warm. Scoop an apple onto a plate or bowl, then drizzle with several spoonfuls of the pan juices. You may choose to add a scoop of ic...

These baked apples are the best you'll ever taste, guaranteed. And they're super easy! Grab some apples, and try this now. Yes, NOW. Make extra, as you'll want leftovers for breakfast - they're that good.

Breakfast, really?
Yes, definitely. This is what all breakfast cereals wish they could be! I had an amazing baked apple for brunch in New Orleans, where it's considered an important part of a well-balanced hangover-battling breakfast. Give it a try.

The base recipe I describe here is easily modified, so you can combine it with your favorite parts of Grandma's recipe, or experiment to your heart's content.

Step 1: Tools & Ingredients

Ingredients:
apples
brown sugar
whipping cream
amaretto
salt
allspice, cinnamon, or other spice of your choice (optional)
other fillings like raisins or nuts (optional; I'm not using them here)

Tools:
knife or apple corer
oven-proof baking dish
oven

Step 2: Core Apples

Grab a paring knife or apple corer, and cut the cores out of your apples.

Place them right-side-up in a baking pan. It's fine if they're a snug fit, but you want each to have enough room to rest squarely on the bottom of the pan.

What kind of apples should you use?
Anything that's considered a good baking apple, and preferably has a slightly tart bite. That includes Galas, Golden Delicious, Cortlands, Empires, Mutsus, Winesaps, Jonagolds, Johnathans, Honeycrisps, Russets, Pippins, or anything else you'd use in a pie. Avoid Fujis, McIntosh, and Red Delicious, as they don't stand up well to cooking. I also tend to avoid Granny Smiths, as they're a bit one-note tart, but if you're adding more flavorful fillings they may be fine.

Step 3: Stuff apples

Fill the apple cores loosely with brown sugar.

If you're using raisins or nuts, this is the time to add them too - mix them with the brown sugar, and pack the cores a bit more tightly.

I don't have exact measurements for this - just eyeball it. The apple core/apple ratio turns out to be just about right for creating the right sweet balance, and anyway there's a decent margin for error.

If you want to go super fast and for one person, do this: Core one apple, mix some butter, cinnamon and sugar, jam it in the apple, put the whole thing in the micro and nuke it for a minute or two. The apple meat becomes soft but stay in the peal. Drizzle over some cold store bought marzan sauce and eat carefully as the apple is really hot.